Chapter 56: Eating Melon at the Scene

Chapter 56: Eating Melon at the Scene

All those who should be taken away were escorted out, and as the ones who called the police, Cui Fan and Cui Shu naturally had to follow to the police station.

Before leaving, Cui Fan didn't forget to apologize to all the guests present: "I'm truly sorry for taking up everyone's time today. My sister and I won't be able to host you further, please bear with us..."

Before he could finish, someone from the audience said, "It's alright, you two go ahead and take care of your matters."

Everyone was reasonable and understood the predicament of Cui Fan and Cui Shu.

Another person chimed in, "Yes, don't worry about us."

After all, they had already witnessed the most exciting part of the spectacle. Now, they could sit down for a feast, so they weren't losing out!

The other guests echoed their sentiments.

Let Cui Fan and Cui Shu handle their affairs; they didn't need to entertain anyone.

Cui Fan and Cui Shu thanked everyone individually before following the police off the stage.

When they reached Ye Le Yao's table, Cui Fan suddenly stopped and looked at Ye Le Yao: "Thanks."

Ye Le Yao was surprised.

"Huh? Why are you thanking me?"

"Is it because I helped by saying a few words?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Ye Le Yao was just upset that Cui Father and Cui Mother were shameless, so he couldn't help but speak up. At the same time, Ye Le Yao felt quite emotional.

"Have there been a lot of people thanking me recently?"

Mr. and Mrs. Huo glanced at Ye Le Yao.

Who else had thanked Little Yao?

Huo Yan shook his head.

He really didn't know.

Mr. and Mrs. Huo retracted their gaze and saw Cui Fan smiling.

This smile was much more genuine than when they met at his house earlier. He greeted Mr. and Mrs. Huo again, and then Cui Fan and Cui Shu left with the police.

With this, all the hosts of the banquet co-hosted by the Zhong and Cui families had departed, but none of the guests left early.

Not only because it was rare for everyone to gather together, but also because the drama they witnessed today was truly fascinating!

Without the hosts around, the guests discussed even more enthusiastically.

Some even called their legal teams on the spot, asking how many years the Cui family and the Zhong family would receive under these circumstances.

Indeed, the legal team was professional.

Despite being caught off guard by their employer's sudden inquiry, the legal team still conscientiously answered all possibilities.

In the end, they concluded that—

If Cui Father and Cui Mother's actions were true, they would receive less than three years.

If Zhong Zhiwei's situation was true, it would be at least ten years or more.

As for Zhong Father and Zhong Mother, it would depend on the evidence available.

If there was evidence proving that they intentionally concealed information, they wouldn't escape legal punishment either.

Upon hearing this, all the guests laughed.

They never expected that attending a wedding banquet would result in witnessing such a grand spectacle.

Regardless, they were delighted!

Ye Le Yao was equally happy. After the banquet, he specifically paid attention to the situation with the Zhong and Cui families.

The Cui family's enterprise was already on the brink of collapse, and now that both decision-makers were gone, the company instantly lost its backbone. In less than two days, a large number of middle management personnel left.

According to Mr. Huo's analysis, the current situation of the Cui family was irreversible. Bankruptcy was certain, but the problem was that the huge hole left by the Cui Group might not attract any companies willing to take over such a mess after bankruptcy.

As for the Zhong family,

Zhong Father and Zhong Mother were never adept at managing enterprises, so after the passing of Old Man Zhong, they always hired external managers.

In the short term, the Zhong family's business wouldn't fall into chaos, but it wouldn't last long either.

After all, the Zhong family's business wasn't like the Cui family's, which was an empty shell burdened with debt. There were plenty of people eager to seize this opportunity and swallow up this piece of cake.

Once the board of directors removed Zhong Father and Zhong Mother from the decision-making center, the Zhong family's company would soon change hands.

The Huo family wasn't very interested in the Zhong family's business, so they didn't get involved further, but they didn't miss out on any gossip related to them.

Three days later, right after finishing his acting class, Ye Le Yao saw the latest news about Zhong Zhiwei shared by Mrs. Huo.

Holding his phone, Ye Le Yao almost burst out laughing in the classroom:

"Hahahaha, directly criminally detained! Indeed, Cui Fan had crucial evidence in his hands!"

As Ye Le Yao was enjoying reading the news, someone suddenly approached him: "Aren't you leaving?"

Ye Leyao looked up; the young man in front of her was Ran Jing, just like Ye Leyao, an artist attending acting classes.

However, while Ye Leyao had already debuted, Ran Jing had yet to officially enter the entertainment industry.

After spending some time together, the two had become fairly familiar with each other.

Ye Leyao immediately got up from the ground. "Let's go, but my older brother said he's also at the company today. He mentioned that he needs to make a trip home and asked me to wait for him."

Ran Jing, aware of Ye Leyao's identity, nodded. "Are you going to wait for him in his office?"

Ye Leyao shook her head.

Huo Jing's office saw frequent visits from people reporting various matters to him. Although it didn't restrict Ye Leyao in any way, she always found herself dozing off during these sessions. She had no desire to be there.

"I'll wait for him in the garage," Ye Leyao sent a message to Huo Jing, urging him to hurry down.

Seeing this, Ran Jing chuckled. "Then let's go. Coincidentally, my electric scooter is also parked in the garage."

Ye Leyao looked at him in surprise. "Didn't your agent say you're not allowed to ride your electric scooter anymore? Didn't you have an assistant drop you off?"

"I wear a helmet when I ride my electric scooter, follow traffic rules, and never carry passengers," Ran Jing huffed. "Besides, I haven't officially debuted yet, so he can't control me!"

Ye Leyao burst out laughing.

Ran Jing was one year older than Ye Leyao and was currently in his first year of university. His favorite pastime was riding his little electric scooter to the company for various trainings. For this reason, his agent had repeatedly emphasized to him that he should stop being obsessed with his old scooter, but Ran Jing was rebellious.

Ye Leyao admired him for it, as she once genuinely became curious about the experience of riding an electric scooter. After obtaining Ran Jing's consent, Ye Leyao took his little scooter for a spin on the road.

While other vehicles were stuck in traffic, Ye Leyao cruised through smoothly on her little scooter, truly enjoying the freedom!

However, the consequence of this incident was that Ye Leyao was recognized by fans and nearly got surrounded.

Afterward, Ye Leyao received a scolding from Li Li, and there was no repeat of the event.

The two chatted and laughed their way to the garage. Huo Jing hadn't arrived yet, so Ran Jing simply had Ye Leyao sit on the backseat of his scooter, and they started chatting in the underground garage.

Just as they were having a good time, Ye Leyao heard Huo Jing's voice calling out from behind: "Xiao Yao."

Ye Leyao quickly stood up, waving at Huo Jing. "Older brother, I'm over here!"

Looking back, Ye Leyao noticed that Huo Jing was accompanied by several people. Leading the group was Huo Jing and a man dressed in a black suit, handsome features, and particularly deep-set eyes. But that wasn't the main point; the key detail was the cane the man held in his hand.

Despite his efforts to conceal it, one could still discern from his gait that his right leg seemed to have some disability.

Ye Leyao's gaze swept over the man before quickly moving away, but to her confusion, the man did not withdraw his probing stare. In fact, he even furrowed his brows slightly.

Ye Leyao was utterly perplexed.

"Ah, I don't think I know him, why is he looking at me?"

"Hold on..."

Ye Leyao suddenly realized something and shifted slightly to the side.

The man's gaze remained fixed, and as he approached closer, Ye Leyao could see a hint of anger in his eyes.

Ye Leyao was certain now.

"He's not looking at me, he's looking at Ran Jing!"

"Huh? Didn't Ran Jing say he was just a poor college student discovered by a talent scout? Although I don't recognize this man, the fact that he stands beside my older brother..."

Ye Leyao suddenly felt that this scenario seemed somewhat familiar.

She must have read about it in a book somewhere, but which one was it?

As Ye Leyao pondered, the group drew nearer.

"How dare you ride that broken vehicle out again?" The man's voice was icy, devoid of any warmth.

Sitting on the scooter, Ran Jing didn't budge, his head lowered in silence.

The man's cold expression deepened upon seeing this.

Ye Leyao glanced at Ran Jing and then looked at her own older brother.

"Who is he?"

Receiving Ye Leyao's signal, Huo Jing cleared his throat and spoke. "President Meng, since our discussion is concluded, we shall meet again next time."

Meng Yue finally withdrew his gaze, replacing it with a smile. "Very well, President Huo, please proceed."

Huo Jing indicated that Ye Leyao could leave.

Ye Leyao bid farewell to Ran Jing.

Ran Jing winked at her, signaling that everything was fine.

Only then did Ye Leyao follow Huo Jing, glancing back every few steps.

As they walked, Ye Leyao suddenly exclaimed in shock:

"It can't be 'The Disabled Tycoon,' that book, right?"

Huo Jing's eyelid twitched.

What disabled tycoon?

Indeed, Meng Yue's right leg did have some disability.

The driver opened the car door, and as soon as Ye Leyao got in, he skillfully pulled out his phone and opened his notes app.

After browsing for a moment, Ye Leyao raised his head and glanced at Huo Jing beside him.

Huo Jing had already taken out his laptop and started handling documents.

Sensing Ye Leyao's gaze, Huo Jing paused slightly in his actions and looked up to ask, "What is it?"

Ye Leyao, after flipping through his notes without finding any clues, decided to ask Huo Jing directly: "Big Brother, what's the relationship between Ran Jing and that President Meng we just saw?"

"You weren't surprised at all when you saw them earlier, Big Brother must know something!"

Huo Jing was unusually silent.

It wasn't that he didn't know; it was because he truly did know.

Not only did he know, but he also knew some inside information.

But these sordid affairs of adults were not something Huo Jing wanted to share with Ye Leyao.

So Huo Jing said, "I'm not too sure."

Ye Leyao: "…"

"So, Big Brother does know! He's just not being honest enough!"

Huo Jing: "…"

Was he that obvious?

As Ye Leyao thought more about it, he felt that the terms 'President Meng' and 'disabled tycoon' sounded familiar, but he couldn't immediately recall which book they came from.

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Leyao changed his question: "What's the full name of that President Meng?"

This time, Huo Jing didn't hide anything from Ye Leyao: "Meng Yue," pausing for a moment before adding, "He's the eldest son of the Meng Corporation and the successor who will hold power in the Meng family, but… you'd better have less contact with him."

Ye Leyao thought to himself:

"Why would I have contact with Meng Yue? I don't even manage company affairs."

"But Meng Yue…"

Ye Leyao repeated the name twice, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"I remember now!"

"It's not 'The Disabled Tycoon,' but 'The Substitute and the White Moonlight HE'!"

Huo Jing's typing fingers paused.

What?

The substitute and the white moonlight?

Huo Jing knew about Meng Yue and Ran Jing's relationship because Ran Jing was personally brought to the company by Meng Yue.

Meng Yue didn't make many demands, only saying that he wanted Huo Jing to sign Ran Jing, and all training and resources for Ran Jing afterward would be provided by the Meng side.

The Meng family was an old partner of the Huo Group, and it wasn't a big deal to simply place someone in the company for training, so Huo Jing agreed.

In the six months Ran Jing was at the company, Meng Yue had come to pick him up a few times, but Meng Yue never formally introduced Ran Jing to the people in their circle, so Ran Jing's identity became clear.

To put it nicely, Ran Jing was someone Meng Yue kept close to him.

Huo Jing didn't look down on Ran Jing, nor did he ever stop Ran Jing from interacting with Ye Leyao after knowing about their connection, but what he never expected was that Ran Jing actually had the identity of a substitute.

A substitute for whom?

Meng Yue's white moonlight?

How come Huo Jing had never heard of Meng Yue having a white moonlight?

At this point, Ye Leyao was already immersed in the excitement of uncovering gossip, completely oblivious to Huo Jing's astonished gaze.

"Ahhhh, found it! Right here!"

Ye Leyao quickly scanned through the plot and couldn't help sighing.

"Indeed, my pitiful Ran Jing really is a substitute!"

"Ran Jing comes from a poor background, his father died early, and his mother is often sick, needing a large amount of medical expenses year-round, but Ran Jing is ambitious, not only good-looking but also academically excellent. From high school onwards, he has been working part-time jobs to support his household… good-looking, in need of money, a pitiful little one. This setup, isn't it the standard beautiful, strong, and tragic protagonist's bottom setting!"

"So when Meng Yue approached him, Ran Jing agreed without hesitation. A million a month, no touching, not only arranging work for Ran Jing but also buying him luxury goods, the only requirement being that when Meng Yue needs it, Ran Jing must be available at a moment's notice. Such a good job, how could Ran Jing refuse it!"

Seeing this, Ye Leyao couldn't help laughing.

Because he suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Ran Jing asked him if the company had paid for his five insurances and one fund.

At the time, Ye Leyao was quite puzzled, wasn't buying insurance enough?

But Ran Jing said no, he had to buy the five insurances and one fund.

He needed a guarantee.

Now, Ye Leyao understood.

"So Ran Jing has always treated 'playing the role of the white moonlight' as a job! With the five insurances and one fund, are there performance evaluations, bonuses, and year-end bonuses? Hahahaha, it's too funny—"

Hearing this, Huo Jing couldn't help but chuckle as well.

Ran Jing was indeed an interesting character.

"But work is work, after all; who doesn't want to slack off sometimes? Even Ran Jing gets tired of acting, like today, when he just wanted to indulge in being himself for a bit. But unfortunately, Meng Yue caught him in the act."

Reading this, Ye Leyao instantly understood:

"No wonder Ran Jing has been taking acting lessons for half a year and his acting skills have surpassed mine, yet he hasn't gone into filming. Turns out all his acting skills were dedicated to playing the role of the unattainable love!"

"It's no surprise then that Ran Jing didn't get angry when Meng Yue spoke to him in a bad tone earlier."

"Well, what can you do? Meng Yue is his boss after all!"

Hu Jing couldn't help but wonder if Meng Yue knew about Ran Jing's thoughts.

Soon, Hu Jing came to a conclusion—Meng Yue definitely didn't know.

After all, if Meng Yue had known what Ran Jing was thinking, he wouldn't have ended up losing both his substitute for the unattainable love and the real thing.

Thinking about it, Hu Jing became even more curious.

So, who exactly was this unattainable love?

But Ye Leyao didn't continue speaking. Instead, she furrowed her brows and started flipping through her notes, jotting down something.

She remained silent even after they returned home.

Hu Jing had come back today to discuss some matters with Hu Dad. Seeing that Ye Leyao wasn't speaking, he composed himself and went to talk with Hu Dad in the study.

During dinner, the family brought up Hu Ze.

Hu Mom said, "The finals are in two days. Will Xiao Yao be going to watch?"

Ye Leyao slightly frowned. "What time does it start?"

Hu Dad picked up his phone and checked the message from Hu Ze. "Six o'clock in the evening."

Ye Leyao poked at her rice, calculating the time. "So it should be over by ten o'clock in the evening, right?"

Hu Mom nodded. "In theory, yes. Even if they play all five rounds, there should be enough time."

Ye Leyao suddenly smiled. "Then I'll go too!"

"I believe in Third Brother's abilities. He'll surely finish the match before ten so I can watch the excitement!"

At these words, there was a moment of silence at the dining table.

Watch the excitement?

What excitement?

What kind of excitement requires watching at ten o'clock in the evening?

Since Hu Jing was the one who picked up Ye Leyao today, both Hu Dad and Hu Mom looked at him.

Hu Jing: "…"

Hadn't they just arrived home not long ago?

He had been discussing matters with Hu Dad the whole time and only came downstairs for dinner…

Hu Mom gave Hu Jing a reproachful look.

Even if he was busy, he could have sent a simple message in the group chat, summarizing the situation in a few sentences, right?

Hu Jing picked up the glass beside him and took a sip of water.

Alright, noted for next time.

The three of them redirected their gaze to Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao had opened a memo she had prepared that afternoon. Looking at all the critical points of the events, she nodded in satisfaction.

"In two days is the day the unattainable love returns! But—"

"Meng Yue hadn't received any news of the unattainable love's return, so on that night, Meng Yue and Ran Jing directly ran into the unattainable love at a bar… Wow, just thinking about it is exciting!"

Hu Dad and Hu Mom also found it exciting.

They knew about Meng Yue since Ye Leyao had mentioned him, but what was the deal with the unattainable love and Ran Jing?

Unable to resist, Hu Mom picked up her phone and typed the number "1" in the group chat.

Hu Jing's phone vibrated.

Hu Dad also looked at Hu Jing.

Sighing inwardly, Hu Jing resignedly picked up his phone and briefly recounted what had happened in the car to the two of them.

Hu Dad and Hu Mom stared wide-eyed.

They had previously thought that Meng Yue was quite measured!

How could he be so reckless in matters of the heart?

However—

Thinking about Meng Yue's eventual fate, Hu Dad and Hu Mom couldn't help but laugh.

One was the substitute he had meticulously nurtured, who resembled his unattainable white moonlight more and more; the other was that very white moonlight he could only yearn for.

Incredibly, these two ended up together!

It could only be said that Meng Yue was the real jester.

Huoba and Huoma chuckled secretly for a while, then sighed deeply.

Those who do not respect feelings will surely be shut out by them.

Thus, Meng Yue did not deserve their sympathy.

Suddenly, they were somewhat looking forward to two days later!

Time flew by, and before they knew it, the day of the e-sports finals arrived.

After all, this was Huo Ze's most important match, so the entire family was present today.

Before the match began, they were led backstage by the staff to meet all the members of the KTW team.

After a brief chat with them, the Huo family took their seats in the audience.

At six o'clock in the evening, the match started on schedule.

KTW's opponent tonight was an old-established e-sports powerhouse.

As a new team, the pressure on KTW was not insignificant.

But KTW withstood this pressure, and under the leadership of AD and Huo Ze, they smoothly won the first game.

Huoba and Huoma breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since Huo Ze started competing, they had watched all of his major and minor matches.

Winning the first game was crucial for boosting morale.

Therefore, from the start of the second game, KTW played fiercely. Perhaps because everyone was confident, there were fewer mistakes, and they flattened the opponent's base in twenty-five minutes, securing the victory.

When the third game began, the Huo family was even more nervous than Huo Ze on stage.

When they saw the opposing team get the first kill, Huoma couldn't bear to watch anymore.

Ye Leyao was also extremely tense.

In the original plot, due to Ning Xu's suspension, Huo Ze's team never made it to the finals.

But now that the matter with the Ning siblings had been resolved well, Huo Ze's team had reached the finals for the first time.

"Must win! Come on!" Ye Leyao watched anxiously.

The timeline for the third game was particularly long, and the family's hearts rose and fell repeatedly. Finally, at the forty-minute mark, Ning Xu spotted a defensive error by the opposing team, eliminating three of their players first. With three main core players missing, the opposing team couldn't even defend their base.

At the forty-one-minute mark, KTW successfully won the third game!

With the commentator's words, "Congratulations to KTW!"

The arena erupted.

Ye Leyao stood up straight in delight.

The atmosphere was lively.

The entire venue echoed with shouts of "Congratulations" and "Awesome."

The family saw Huo Ze and his teammates lift the trophy, and Huo Ze seemed to notice Ye Leyao and the others, waving in their direction.

Ye Leyao's smile stretched to the back of his ears.

Just then, he suddenly thought of something and glanced down at the time.

"It's already nine o'clock! I have to hurry!"

Huoba and Huoma snapped back to reality.

Huo Yan was confused.

Leave?

Where to?

Huo Ze had won the match; shouldn't they be going to the victory banquet later?

Huo Yan quickly looked at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing was speechless.

Had you not read a single message in the group over the past two days?

Huo Yan whispered, "I've been shooting ads for the past two days!"

To watch Huo Ze's match, he had packed all his work together, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

But after Huo Jing's reminder, Huo Yan quickly opened his phone.

After browsing through the group messages, Huo Yan made up his mind.

The victory banquet, unimportant.

Eating melons at the bar, that was what mattered!

The family first went backstage to find Huo Ze.

Seeing them, Huo Ze was very excited: "I've already arranged the venue for the celebratory banquet, we..."

"No," Huo Mama interrupted Huo Ze with a smile, "you and your teammates can go, but your father and I... well, tonight we're going to have a drink at a bar."

Huo Ze looked at Huo Mama, his eyes filled with disbelief.

What?

Going to a bar for a drink?

Isn't the alcohol at home enough for you two?

Then came Ye Leyao's excited voice: "Huo Dad, Huo Mama, which bar are you going to?"

"If it's the same one, I want to come too!"

Huo Mama mentioned a name.

Ye Leyao immediately laughed: "Can I join you?"

"Of course you can," said Huo Mama.

Ye Leyao's lips couldn't help but curl upwards uncontrollably.

"Great! Although I don't know why Huo Dad and Huo Mama want to go drinking, if they're coming along, I'll have a legitimate reason to be seen at the bar enjoying the scene!"

"When the paparazzi really do take pictures of me, I can explain that I'm there with my parents!"

"It's not because I want to eat melons!"

Huo Ze's eyelids twitched instantly as he looked up at his family in front of him.

Huo Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if asking if he was sure he didn't want to go?

Huo Dad and Huo Mama had eager expressions on their faces, as if urging him to think about it carefully.

Huo Ze took a slight breath, thinking about the increasingly interesting and amusing gossip in the WeChat group over this period. He could no longer hold back and blurted out, "Well... since you're all going, I'll go too!"

Was there anything more fun than eating melons?

The answer is, no!

Finally, it was his turn, Huo Ze's, to enjoy the melon-eating scene live!